Automatic tape moistener



May 7, 1935. F. H, POEPPELMEIER ,0995% AUTOMATIC TAPE MOISTENER Filed May 26, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTGE WW} W/d Mf ATTQRNEY y 1935. F. H. POEPPELMEIER AUTOMATIC TAPE MOISTENER .2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 26, 1930 I ATTORNEY Patented May 7 1935 UNITED s'r TE-s' actors:

PATENT OFFICE) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in automatic tape moisteners. It is one of the principal objects of this invention to provide a simple and emcientfitape mois 8 tening machine for dispensing tape in uniform lengths to accurately display the advertising mat ter thereon.

It is another object of the invention to provide a tape moistening and serving machine having feeding means for positively moving the tape, the tape being cut ofi at the end of the feeding stroke and while the paper is stationary.

It is another object of the invention to provide means for severing the tape by a punch eifect rather than by a scissor action of the cutting device. I

Other important and incidental objects will be brought out in the following specification and particularly set forth in the subjoined claims.

The main base I is divided by partitions 5 and 8 into three compartments: a moistening compartment I, a feeding compartment 8 and a paper compartment 9. At the bottom of the latter is a paper support III.

Fitted upon the top of the main base I, over the compartments I and 8, is a tape supporting plate II. A paper weight I2 provided with a knob I2 is secured to the plate II over the tape,

Projecting upwardly from the rear sides of -the plate II are flanges I3, I8. These flanges are cut at their rear edges to form ears I4, It to which the rear curved ends 'of a cut-off blade support II are pivotally secured. Secured by screws It to the front end of the support I5, which is U- shaped, is a triangular cut-off blade II, which operates with a punch effect, thus making unnecessary the sharpening of a cutting element.

Formed from the front side edges of the flanges I8, I8 are ears 16*, I6" which receive the ends of a pressure spring shaft I'I' to which there is secured a pressure spring I8. The inner ends of In the accompanying drawingsillustrating the invention, Figure l is a side elevational view of Figure 2 is a 1on-' the latter terminate in hook portions I! which engage under the inner ends of the cut-off blade support I5 tomaintain the blade II in a raised position until depressed by means hereinafter to r be ,described.

The middle portions of the flanges I8, I: are formed with'recesses 20, 28 to receive the ends of a pressure roller shaft2 I. Loosely mounted upon .the middle portion of the latter is a pressure roller 2-2 which projects through a slot in the plate II to engage the paper 3.

For the purpose of feeding'the paper forward fromthe roll 8, the following means are-pro- 'vided. Referring" to Figures 2 and 3, the nuis a flanged sleeve bearing 28 for ashaft 21 have ing a reduced flanged inner end upon which a drive roller 28 is mounted within? the compartment "8. Free to rotate within the bushing 24 is a ;shaft 29 formed with a reduced flanged mner 'end upon which a ratchet wheel 30 is secured. Also mounted on the shaft 29,. within a recess formed in the inner end of the bushing 24, is a pinion 3i. (See Figures 2 and 3.) Secured to the inner end of the bushing 24 by two properly spaced wing portions 82, 32, is a channel guide 33 for a rack bar 34 that engages the pinion 8|. Fitted within the channel guide 33 is an anti-friction member; preferabiy constructed ofbrass and having hook shaped ends to firmly engage the guide ends. ,This brass member 35 permits the rack to slide freely an without chatter in the guide. 7

Pivotally secured to the drive roller 28 by a flanged pin 36 is a pawl 81 whose nose is held in engagement with a tooth of the ratchet wheel tated counter clockwise by the rack and pinionmeans just described, it will rotate the drive roller 28 through the pawl 31, to feed forward the tape 8 which it engages below the pressure roller 20.

For the purpose of reciprocating the rack bar 84 to rotate the ratchet 30, the following means are provided. Secured for rotation in holes in the side walls of the main base I, at the bottom of the compartment 8, is a cross shaft". Secured to the latter within the compartment 8 is an arm 88 which is pivotally secured to the lower end of the rack bar 84 by a'stud 48. lip ondown or starting position after a full forward feedingmovement of the tape. As the arm 39 5 moves up from its starting or down position, see

Fig. 2, and the angle between the arm 39 and the rack bar 34 decreases, the endwise movement of the rack bar becomes less and less until finally the endwise movement of therack bar ceases altogether when the bar reaches the dotted line position indicated at A in Fig. 2, in substantial alignment with the arm 39. As the rack bar moves from the dotted line position A to the dotted line position B, during the final forward movements of the operating handle, it does not move endwise but rocks around the'pinion 3| without rotating the pinion. and consequently without advancing the tape. 7

The means for automatically severing the tape ,at the end of the down stroke of the operating lever, will now be described. This lever, which will be designated by the numeral 42, is secured to the outer right hand end of the shaft 39.

The throw of this lever is adjusted by a rubber bumper 43 fitted on a bushing carried by an adjusting screw 44 upon the outer end of which a wing nut 45 is mounted... Secured to the wall of the main base I behind the operating lever 42, by screws 46 is an adjusting plate 41. This plate has a lower offset portion formed with an arcuate slot 49 that receives the inner end of the screw 44 and which is free to be moved to adjusted positions within it by looseningthe wing nut 45. By means of this adjustable stop 43 the throw of the operating lever can be adjusted to effect an operation of the means nowto be described to accurately sever the tape, for example, on a line midway between the advertising data thereon.

Secured to the bottom of the main base I, by screws 46, 46, is a bottomflange on a vertical guide 41. The latter, which is positioned below one side of the front portion of the cut-off blade support I5, is formed with a right angled lip 48 containing a slot to receive the lower end of a sliding link 49. Formed in the upper end of this link is a slot 49 that receives a stud 50 secured to the blade supportl5. At its lower end the link 49 is formed with a foot 5! which projects outwardly from it into the path of the forward, downward movement of the operating lever 42.

When the lever engages this foot on the link, it

will pull the blade l1 down quickly, during the remainder of its forward movement, to sever the tape by a punch effect.

Just prior to the engagement of the downwardly moving lever 42 with theffoot 5i on the link 49, the tape will come to a stop for the severing operation, since at that time the arm 39 will be on dead center with respect to the rack bar 34 to which it is connected. Any further downward movement of the operating lever from this point on will, therefore, not communicate any upward movement to the rack bar to turn the driving roller 28. Instead, the rack bar 34 will tilt around the pinion 3|, which now remains stationary, until the arm 39 passes center, being accompanied in this tilting movement by the guide 33 which is free to turn with the rotatable bushing 23 to which it is secured. This guide, by virtue of its connection to said bushing, is at all times free to accommodate itself with ease to the various positions which the rack bar assumes.

While the tape is stationary, due to the lag in the longitudinal movement of the rack bar, the blade I1 will descend in a punch like manner to sever'it at the proper place, the blade continuing its downward movement through a slot 52 in the papersupporting plate H. The blade 11 as evident from Fig. 4, is pointed so that it will stab into the tape and cut the tape from the center outwardly toward the sides. Operating as it does with a punch effect, it will be evident that it is unnecessary to have the cutting edge of the blade contact with a side of the slot 52 in the paper supporting plate H. The construction and assembly of the device are therefore quite simple, inasmuch as the pivot axis of the blade support need not be exactly located with respect to theslot 52, and wherein the pivot connection of the blade support has no effect on the efllciency of the severing operation.

Pivotally secured to the front flanged portions of the paper supporting plate II, by means of thumb screws 53, 53, are the downwardly projecting cars 54, 54 on an adjustable plate 55. This plate has a vertical shield portion 56 in front of the lower part of the blade l1.

Projecting forwardly from the plate 55 is a curved cap portion 51 that covers the upper part of a brush 58 and guides the tape over it for moistening purposes.

The brush 58 is mounted in an inverted manner in the following described holder so that it may be easily. adjusted upwardly to a proper position for moistening the tape in a capillary manner. Referring to Figures 2 and 4, this holder comprises a metal frame having a back 59 and a bottom clip portion 60 which yieldingly receives the head of the brush. The latter rests upon the foot portion 6! of a vertical slide 62. This slide has a reduced portion which is free to move vertically through a vertical slot formed in the back of the holder. At its top the slide terminates in a right-angled flange part 63 formed with a screw hole to receive the lower threaded end of an adjusting screw 64 that passes downwardly from a screw hole in a lug 65 on the back 59 of the holder. Surrounding this screw between the lug 65 and the flange part of the slide is a coil spring, 66. By tightening the screw 64 against the tension of the spring 66, the slide will be elevated to raise the brush until it makes proper contact with the gummed surface of the tape.

The lug 65 terminates in a downwardly turned lip 61 whereby it may easily be hooked over the top edge 'of the front wall of the base I to removably support the moistening brush within the front end of the compartment 1 below the tape.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a machine of the type described, a base for supporting a roll of tape, a tape advancing roller arranged for contact with the tape, operating means comprising an operating handle and a positive linkage connection between the handle and the roller for positive-movement of the roller in a feeding direction when the handle is operated in one direction, said positive linkage connection causing gradual decelerating movement of said roller to the end of the feeding movement thereof upon constant movement of the operating handle, tape severing means, and means for operating said tape severing means from said operating means during the final movements of the handle in the said one direction, said positive linkage connection providing for feeding movement 2. In a machine of the type described, a base for supporting a roll of tape, feeding means for said tape, tape severing means, an operating lever, a positive linkage actuating connection between the operating lever and the feeding means providing for positive feeding movement of the tape, said actuating connection having provision for gradually decelerating the movement of the feeding means and then giving a dwell in the movement of the feeding means while the operating lever continues to move in the same direction so that the movement of the tape will be halted, and an actuating device for the tape severing means adapted to be engaged by the operating lever during the dwell in said actuating connection and while said lever continues its movement in said same direction so as to sever the tape while the tape is stationary.

3. In a machine of the type described, a base for supporting a roll of tape, feeding means for said tape, tape severing means, an operating lever, an actuating connection between the operating lever and the feeding means and including a one-way clutch device and a linkage system having pivotally connected elements movable to a dead center position to give a dwell in the tape feeding means at a predetermined positioning of the operating lever so that the tape will be halted in its'feeding movement when the operating lever attains said predetermined position, and an actuating device for the tape severing means adapted for operation by said operating lever while said elements are in their dead center position so that the tape will be severed when it is stationary.

4. In a machine ofthe type described, a base for supporting a roll of tape, driving and driven one-way clutch elements, a driving roller for advancing the tape operably connected to said driven element, a pinion for rotating said driving element, a rack bar in engagement with said pinion, a shaft mounted in said base, an arm secured to said shaft and pivotally connected at its outer end to said rack bar and movable to a dead center position with respect to said rack bar, an operating lever attached to said shaft, a tape severing device, and meansadapted to be operated by said operating lever to actuate the tape severing device when, the rack bar and arm are on dead center. I

5. In a machine of the type described, a base for supporting a roll of tape, a driving roller for advancing the tape, a horizontal shaft supported in said base, a ratchet wheel secured to said a rotatable I, bushing surrounding said shaft, a

channel guide for said rack bar secured to said bushing, a second shaft mounted in said base, an arm secured to said second shaft and pivotally connected at its outer end to said rack bar and movable to a dead center position with respect to said rack bar, an operating lever attached to said second shaft, a tape severing device, and means engageable by said operating lever when said rack bar and arm are on dead center to actuate the tape severing device when the tape is stationary.

6. In a machine of the type described, a base for supporting a roll of tape, means for feeding said tape, an operating lever adapted for forward movement to operate said feeding means, a tape severing device including a blade mounted for bodily movements in a curved path about an axis displaced therefrom, a sliding link for actuating said tape severing device, means on said base slidably guiding said link, and a projection on said link for engagement by the operating lever before the end of its forward movement to depress the link to actuate the severing device.

'7. In a machine of the type described, a base for supporting a roll of tape, means for feeding, said tape, an operating lever pivotally secured to said base and adapted for forward movement to operate said feeding means, a pointed cut-off blade, a support for said blade pivotally secured to the rear portion of said base, spring means for normally holding said blade above the tape, a vertically slidinglink pivotally attached at its upper end to said blade support, means on said base for guiding said sliding link, and a projection on said link for engagement by the operating lever during its final forward movement to depress the link so as to draw the cut-off blade with a punch effect into severing contact with the tape.

8. In a machine of the type described, a base for supporting a roll of tape, means for feeding said tape, an operating lever pivotally secured to said base and connected to said feeding means and movable downwardly and toward the tape serving end of the machine, a pointed cut-off blade, a U-shaped supportfor said blade pivotally secured upon said base for movement about an axis tothe rear of the blade, spring means engaging said support to normally hold the blade above the tape, blade operating means having its upper end operably connected to said blade support, and a projection on said blade operating means for engagement by the operating lever before the end of its downward movement to suddenly draw the cut-off bladeinto severing contact with the tape.

9. In a machine of the type described, a base for supporting a roll of tape, ratchet means for feeding said tape, an operating lever pivotally secured to said base and connected to said ratchet means for feeding movement thereof when said lever is moved forwardly, a pointed cut-off blade, a U-shaped support for said blade pivotally secured upon said base for movement about an axis to the rear of the blade, spring means engaging said support to normally hold the blade above the tape, blade operating means having its upper end operably connected to said blade support, a projection on said blade operating means for engagement by the operating lever at the end of its forward movement to suddenly draw the cut-off blade into severing contact with the tape. v

10. In a machine of the type described, a base for supporting a roll of tape, a tape supporting plate fitted upon said base in front of the tape roll and having a blade receiving slot, a pointed punch blade adapted to enter said slot from above to cut the tape from the center outwardly to the sides of the tape, a pivotal support for said blade arranged on said base at the rear of the blade and providing a curved path of movement for the blade, an operating handle pivotally secured to said base, tape feeding means oper-, 

